Chapter 107
Chapter 107: Why Though?
***
"It's fine." I shook my head with a smile.
"That's good then." Sophia said.
She had already made her bed and was now sitting on the edge of it in a very ladylike posture, looking at me with curious eyes.
"Actually, I only heard about it by chance when my father mentioned it. The Empire's situation is very tense right now. It seems something significant happened between Shanter Castle in Winter City and the palace in Cheliers City... He told us not to go there for the time being. Peylo, do you know what's going on?"
"Not really."
There was no need to tell them about these things.
"I see... It's probably those direct royal family members starting to fight over power again. Survival of the fittest, this sort of thing happens everywhere..." Sophia stood up and walked to the window to draw the curtains. "Actually, your situation is pretty good. Not getting involved in that kind of brutal power struggle, just being a carefree noble, staying out of conflicts, simply enjoying life, that way no one will harm you, and later you can find a good man worthy of you, get married and have children. You don't need to worry about making a living anyway, everything is arranged for you... I'm quite envious of your lifestyle, actually."
She probably thought of me as one of the more peripheral branch families of "Wintermoon." There were indeed quite a few families like that in Winter City, and I had received them at banquets. But actually... if a Wintermoon married someone with a different surname, their next generation would have a high probability of no longer having black hair and black eyes, wouldn't be given the "Wintermoon" name, and would no longer enjoy the rights and honors of "Wintermoon." So without exception, all "Wintermoon" in the Empire had black hair and black eyes... It seemed Sophia didn't know about this.
But there was no need for me to explain, and besides, this kind of thing... couldn't be explained anyway. It was fine to let her continue misunderstanding.
Over there, after drawing the curtains, Sophia walked back to her bed and began removing her outer garments, exposing her fair belly.
I quickly looked away, only to see Daisy's smooth, delicate back. She was also changing clothes, looking somewhat shy, only showing us her back, but she didn't seem to be wearing anything underneath... Why though?!
I hurriedly lowered my head to look at my own feet, focusing my attention on what Sophia continued to say: "But envious as I am, I can't do that. Although my several older brothers are still holding up the family now, they all seem rather incompetent... Someday Father and Mother will grow old, and I'll have to shoulder that responsibility too."
"Great families have their own troubles." Sarah said.
"Actually, it's not always like that. It's just that my father values family honor highly... Look at Peylo, doesn't she seem so carefree, not having to worry about anything at all, how nice..." Sophia asked.
"Yes. I don't really... like... those things."
I really hadn't learned much about the Central Workshop's affairs. It was fine with Father there, and Parsifal was also growing rapidly. As for managing the territory, Lafayette had already done an excellent job. With them at Shanter Castle, there really wasn't anything for me to do.
And I... had my own things I had to do.
"Peylo, aren't you going to change?" Sarah asked.
"Oh, I'll change now."
"Sarah, you haven't changed either, have you?"
"I'm not used to wearing pajamas."
"...What kind of bad habit is that, sleeping naked?"
"None of your business..."
After I climbed into bed and removed my skirt, the gazes of the three girls turned toward me in unison like wolves.
"Wow, your figure is really... uh, quite small."
...Don't say it out loud, it's hurtful.
"But your skin is so nice... I'm so jealous, how do you maintain it like that?!"
"I've never paid attention to it."
"Liar, you just don't want to tell us!"
"Exactly!... Oh my god Peylo, I think except for your somewhat pitiful chest, every other part of you is simply a masterpiece of the divine!"
...I know that!
I am indeed small, but I'll grow bigger! What do you mean by emphasizing it again on purpose? Don't you think using "pitiful" to describe it is excessive?!
"Such a beautiful darling, I wonder which lucky guy will benefit from this in the future..."
That's impossible. How could I ever get married?
"I want to... touch, may I?"
Daisy, why are you like this too... Don't actually touch me, it tickles...!!! Sarah, where are you reaching your hand?!
"Don't, don't touch there!"
"Hehe, don't be shy, we're all girls... Take this!"
"Haha! No, it tickles..."
After the playful commotion, the four of us each lay down on our own beds.
Perhaps because it was the first day of school, everyone including myself was too excited to fall asleep. Taking advantage of that fresh feeling of just getting acquainted, topics emerged one after another endlessly, mostly things girls would care about, like the black-hearted proprietress of a certain accessory shop in the city, or the packing boy at a tea shop in the suburbs. Girls really became close very quickly, and before long we had almost reached the point of talking about everything.
Gradually, I too became immersed in this atmosphere. For a moment, I seemed to return to many years ago, to those college days long sealed away in the corners of my memory.
Those faces that were once beside me, whose features I could no longer clearly remember, just like at this moment, laughing and playing on countless nights, chatting about boring yet carefree things, playing guitar and singing songs, unwilling to fall asleep long after lights-out.
Those days now appeared before my eyes once again.
"...Peylo, why did you stop talking? What are you smiling about all by yourself? If you thought of something interesting, share it with everyone!" Sarah suddenly said.
"It's nothing."
"It's not nothing if you're smiling so happily!"
"Really, it's nothing."
"Sarah, don't change the subject. You still haven't said why you want to become a knight!"
Sophia's dissatisfied voice came from the lower bunk. Sarah pouted when she heard this.
"I really don't have much to say. My family has been knights for generations, so I have to work hard to become a knight too."
"Eh~ Isn't it because you saw a certain lord and were amazed, then worked hard to follow in his footsteps? That kind of story would be more interesting."
"No way! You know that's just a story!" Sarah said irritably. "But speaking of people I admire... there is one."
"There is? Who, who!"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Come on, tell us! We can't sleep anyway, so bored~"
"No."
"Please~ Daisy wants to hear too, right Daisy?"
"Hmm? Ah... yes, indeed."
"See! Tell us, tell us~"
"Mm... Fine. Actually it's nothing special, just Sir Carlos."
"Sir Carlos?... Oh, you mean that Silver Flash, the Pontifical Knight Sir Carlos?"
"Yeah."
"Well, you've got quite a few rivals then. I don't know how many girls in the capital dream of marrying him every day. Good luck~"
!!???
...What?
Carlos? That guy?!
"Where did your mind go? I just admire him... Walking through the abyssal mire, wielding his sword to slay monsters, who wouldn't like such a great hero?"
"Like him enough to want to marry him?"
"I said it's admiration..."
"So if he proposed to you, could you also say with righteous indignation: No need, I only admire you~ Could you do that?"
"Uh..." Sarah fell silent.
"So you see, it's not admiration, you just don't have the opportunity."
"Sophia, don't say that..." Daisy said softly.
"Did I say something wrong? Little Sarah just isn't being honest enough... By the way, have you ever seen Sir Carlos in person?"
"...No."
"But I heard he recently came to the capital~"
"Really?!" Sarah's voice suddenly became excited.
"Yeah, but it's just hearsay, I haven't seen him in person... There are too many rumors about him, hard to tell what's true or false."
"He's not in the capital." I said flatly.
I felt like Sarah might have some misunderstanding about Carlos... I couldn't let her sink deeper.
"Eh, how do you know?"
"Peylo, do you know Sir Carlos?"
I pursed my lips and turned on my side.
"I don't know him."
Tch, who knows that kind of guy who just leaves whenever he wants?
"But you said it so confidently..."
"Peylo, do you have someone you like... ahem, someone you admire? Someone you admire, I mean."
"Sophia, stop being so roundabout with your teasing! I'm going to get angry!"
"I'm not talking about you, now it's Peylo's turn to confess."
"I don't have anyone."
"Don't believe you~"
"Definitely lying!"
"Really, I don't."
"Could it also be... Sir Carlos?"
Daisy's casual question made me panic immediately: "No... How could it be!"
What a joke. Although I did admire that guy's character somewhat, and certainly respected him to some degree, but the "admiration" you're asking about now obviously doesn't mean the literal meaning, right?
"...Why such a big reaction?" Sarah seemed puzzled.
"I think... the person Peylo admires should be Lord Scalliger." Sophia said.
"But she just had such a big reaction..."
Seeing that Sarah seemed intent on dwelling on that point, I quickly admitted: "That's right, I admire Scalliger."
"Right? After all, he's Wintermoon's Pontifical Knight... Peylo, have you met him?"
"...I suppose so."
"By the way... have you all seen the Pontifical Knights in person?" Sarah's attention was successfully diverted.
"I've only seen Her Majesty the Queen." Sophia said.
"Eh~ You actually saw Her Majesty the Queen!"
"...I only saw her from afar once while accompanying my father."
"That's amazing, I've never seen her... What about you, Daisy?"
"I've seen one... once."
"Who, who!"
"Well... wasn't there a Pontifical Knight who had a knighting ceremony at the church in Narangard half a year ago? I went to see it... There were so many people. They said it was the youngest Pontifical Knight in history."
"Oh oh! I know, I know!" Sarah's voice sounded very excited. "It's Lady Sylvia! What does she look like?"
"Um... I was too far away, and she was wearing a cloak, so I couldn't see clearly... I just felt she was small, mm... her speaking voice was very sweet, but she seemed to be in a hurry about something, and left very quickly... She also released a lot of big ice blocks that froze the church terrace solid. The priests spent a long time cleaning it up afterward."
"So that means the new Pontifical Knight has Frost Order... But why did she freeze the terrace?"
"Yes, why though?" I asked expressionlessly.